Zombies & Me

It’s all about dear ol’ Granny in this survival game. EA’s bite sized creation uses Granny to tug on your heartstrings, giving you the license to blow up waves of brain-dead zombies. Welcome to Zombies & Me.

One man alone can’t physically take down an endless stream of zombies, and that’s why the military is happy to help with its bombs. Your young flesh waters the mouths of the undead, so they will follow you incessantly to get a taste. Using this to your advantage, the main mechanic here is to lure zombies into bulls-eye zones where missiles will be dropped. Moving your guy around the screen is a simple as tapping or holding a direction, and it delivers a generally smooth control experience.

Just wait here, I’ll be right back with some brains.

Blowing up zombies earns you points, and the end goal is simply to beat your best score. If you don’t take care of business blasting the endless waves of zombies, they’ll attack Granny’s house (equipped with a health meter) until the game is over. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to show off your score because of the lack of any online connectivity. As a game like Flight Control demonstrates, large communities can be built around score sharing and achievements.

Zombies & Me uses a simple direct and destroy mechanic, but the layers of presentation are swank. The 2D sprites animate well over the pre-rendered backdrop, and the explosions look great. This game also uses custom iPod playlists, and the integration is flawless.

The mandatory elements in Zombies & Me are covered, as this game features solid mechanics, good controls, and cool visual touches. The extra satisfaction in playing a game like this comes from the sensation of blowing up zombies while blaring a song like ‘Bodies’ from The Drowning Pool. With a little Facebook Connect here, and some online leaderboards there; Zombies & Me could reach elite status.

I remember when Grandma taught me how to swear.

Editor’s Note: Cheap Shot is a new review feature where we pick a game that costs $.99 or $1.99 and give it the quick review treatment. While you won’t find a 1-4 score or our usual pros and cons, you will get a direct assessment of the game based on a one-hour playthrough. You’ll still find our full-length, regular reviews for other games.

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